Spring Break 2013

During Spring Break this year we kept things pretty low key, but we did go on a couple of outings.

We went hiking and had a picnic at Steven F. Austin campground. (The Thomas family was camping, but we just joined them for part of a day. Not brave enough to camp with a newborn.)

And then we went to the beach in Galveston with Auntie Eleanor and her kids and our friends the Milletts. It was COLD! And WINDY! Nobody played in the water much, but they all had fun flying kites and building sandcastles on the beach.

We had a picnic at the Water Wall with Travis and the our friends the Haynes.

And of course, we went to Ritters.

A Babyshower for William

Have I mentioned that I have the nicest friends? Because I really do. You might think yours are nicer, but you would be wrong. Really. Mine are the best.

A week before I had William my wonderful friends threw a shower for me. It was so much fun to get together and visit and relax. And eat. And eat. Mmmmmm. Everything was fabulous. And so thoughtful. Lots of vegetarian options. And best of all, for dessert we had Ritters. Quarts of it. It was the best party ever.

See - I told you my friends were the nicest.

More Pictures of Baby William

Our first family picture:

Here are a few more pictures of William. Isn't he handsome? (That's all for tonight - I promise!)

William Meets the Crazies

Megan, Jared, and Kate were so excited to meet their new baby brother.

Megan would have been happy to hold him forever. She remembered everything from when Kate was little.

Jared was excited to hold him too. I think he is thrilled to have a little brother.

Kate was....Kate. She is a little hurricane! She climbed on all the furniture. Jumped off everything she could. Pulled my IV out of the vein so the fluid pooled under my skin. Hugged and kissed her baby brother. Tried to get him to drink from her sippy cup. Beeped his nose, poked at his eyes, ears, and mouth. Pulled his hair. Ate candies without taking the wrapper off. And dumped out my water bottle. It will be an adventure when we go home tomorrow.

Please Welcome Baby William!

William James Mansfield was born on Wednesday, February 6 at 12:13 pm. He was 8 lbs, 7 oz and 21 inches.

Here are a few pictures taken when he was just minutes old.

Jared's a Bike Rider!

Jared really really wanted to learn to ride his bike, but being almost 9 months pregnant, I simply couldn't run along side him to give him the help he needed. Believe me. I tried. I made it about 3 steps before being in so much pain I could barely walk. So I did one of the smartest things I've ever done as a parent. I hired a girl from church to come and teach him to ride.

Her name is Maddie. She runs cross country. She ran up and down our cul-de-sac for an hour. I kept offering her a drink or a break or SOMETHING, but she never even got winded. She just kept running and running, stabilizing Jared when he wobbled, cheering him on, and running. Always running. I've never seen anything like it.

She came two Saturdays in a row, for an hour each time. And before long, Jared went from not being able to ride at all to this:

Ever since, he has spent every spare minute out riding his bike.

Megan got her ears pierced

Megan has been wanting to get her ears pierced for a long time, and we decided that Christmas break was a good time to do it.

Pre-piercing (she was really nervous and a little silly, so she wouldn't let me get a better picture)

Post-piercing

She is counting the days until she can swap out these earrings for some of her choosing.